UPDATE: IPWatchdog Con2020 has been rescheduled and will take place virtually throughout the month of September. The following information has been updated accordingly:

Harness IP CEO Bill Coughlin is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion during IPWatchdog Con2020. The session, titled “Identifying, Valuing and Protecting Trade Secrets in the 21^st Century,” will take place on September 15 at 12:45 PM.

According to recent studies, “48% of ~400 senior executives consider Trade Secrets more important than their patents and trademarks, and 69% foresee trade secret protection becoming more critical than safeguarding other types of intellectual property given the rapid pace of tech innovation.” While recent patent litigation trends have heightened the appeal of trade secrets for some businesses, many still worry about trade secret theft from both internal and external parties.  

The panel will discuss the role of innovation in developing and protecting trade secret programs, how to identify risks, and how to effectively value and monetize trade secrets.

Bill Coughlin is the Chief Executive Officer of Harness IP. He is also a registered patent attorney with more than 40 years of experience in intellectual property law. Before taking on the position of CEO, Coughlin served as President & CEO of Ford Global Technologies, LLC from 2000 to 2018. He also served as Chief Patent Counsel & IP Leader for DaimlerChrysler, and Chief Trademark Counsel for Chrysler Corporation. He is a former Adjunct Professor at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, where he taught classes on trade secret law and IP risk management.

IPWatchdog Con2020 will take place throughout the month of September. Please visit the IPWatchdog Con2020 site to learn more and to register for the event. 

The event was originally scheduled to take place at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel in Dallas, Texas.